Room of the Day: Stunning Fireplace Anchors a Must-See Library
Burnished steel and quartzite — offset by an elegant stained-glass wall — star in a truly original Idaho space
Hall next turned her attention to the wall opening between the dining room and library. Before the remodel, it was smaller and trimmed in molding. She opened it up to create a stronger connection between the two spaces and added a beautiful stained-glass feature. The glass wall serves multiple purposes beyond its obvious decorative function. First, it blocks the unexciting view to the stairwell beyond. It also provides natural daylight by allowing light from neighboring windows to filter in. And, in keeping with Wright’s prescription that art be integrated organically into a home’s design, it serves as a fully integral artistic feature.
Hall, two artisans and the homeowners spent many hours designing the stained glass. The wall was constructed by a retired architect Hall once worked for and his wife, a retired artist.
The homeowners have young grandchildren and worried about what might happen if their 3-year-old grandson decided to shoot the stained-glass wall with his dart gun. The artists adeptly modified the wall to a panel design so that individual pieces could be replaced if needed. Once it was complete, the team cleaned the glass with cotton swabs and worked closely with a steel fabricator to ensure a perfectly square and level frame for the panels.
The homeowners have young grandchildren and worried about what might happen if their 3-year-old grandson decided to shoot the stained-glass wall with his dart gun. The artists adeptly modified the wall to a panel design so that individual pieces could be replaced if needed. Once it was complete, the team cleaned the glass with cotton swabs and worked closely with a steel fabricator to ensure a perfectly square and level frame for the panels.
The wife needed a place for her books and artwork but didn’t want the space to feel like an overwhelmingly “heavy” library. Hall designed a dark walnut bookshelf to wrap only half the wall, with window trim to match. Behind the custom desk is a storage drawer that keeps the printer out of sight. In the center of the custom bookcase is an illuminated Hemingway print. Hall opted to prop it up instead of hang it so the homeowners can rotate in other artwork as desired.
Hall also designed a custom steel ladder to help reach books on the upper shelves. As with the fireplace, she did a full-scale mock-up of the ladder to ensure it would look proportionate to the bookcase. The ladder is on casters so it can slide easily.
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Hall also designed a custom steel ladder to help reach books on the upper shelves. As with the fireplace, she did a full-scale mock-up of the ladder to ensure it would look proportionate to the bookcase. The ladder is on casters so it can slide easily.
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Library at a Glance
Who lives here: A retired couple
Location: Boise, Idaho
Size: About 200 square feet (about 18.6 square meters)
Designer: Suzie Hall of Cornerstone Design
When a scholarly couple — he’s a retired mining professional and she’s a published Hemingway scholar — decided to update their library, they presented designer Suzie Hall with a clear plan. They wanted her to transform the space using Frank Lloyd Wright’s principles of material selection, layout and integration of art. Starting from Wright’s premise that “the hearth is the center of the home,” Hall designed a custom double-sided fireplace that separates the library from the living room.
The hearth features layers of burnished steel with a custom patina, striated quartzite slabs and a poured concrete band. The design was inspired by the husband’s career in mining. As the fireplace was developing, he expressed a desire for something that felt “cave-like.”
Hall started by hand-selecting the stone slabs and laying them out piece by piece to study the veining pattern. She then worked up a drawing of the stone layout with an overlay of steel and created a full-size template on butcher paper tacked to the wall. Her trusted steel fabricator used that template to cut out the jagged edges that would give the firebox opening its cave-like feel. He also bent the steel inward to create the illusion of depth and thickness.